Americans frustrated by high fuel costs should expect relief — eventually — thanks to President Donald Trump’s energy deal with Venezuelan producers, Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) said Monday during an appearance on Fox Business Network’s “The Evening Edit.”
Steube, a Florida Republican, told host Elizabeth MacDonald that the administration’s push to reopen domestic oil and gas exploration, combined with the Venezuela agreement, will translate into lower prices at the pump, though he cautioned that the timeline is measured in years rather than weeks.
A Contrast With the Biden Years
MacDonald framed the segment around what she described as the energy policy contrasts between the two administrations, reciting a list of actions taken during President Joe Biden’s first days in office — killing the Keystone Pipeline, freezing oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, halting new federal drilling permits, and directing federal spending toward wind and solar.
“You can’t fill your gas tank with the wind and the sun,” MacDonald said. She added that the average price American families pay for electricity rose 21 percent under Biden, and that fossil fuels still supply more than 80 percent of global energy needs.
Steube agreed with that framing, saying Trump has reversed course on each of those fronts.
“He’s reopened all of that. He’s reopened the exploration of oil and gas in the United States,” Steube said. “The deal that he’s done in Venezuela, you’re going to see huge price drops at the pump, but it’s going to take time for those types of things to get in place.”
Waiting Out the Lag
The congressman drew a parallel between the delay in seeing benefits from the new policies and the lag time he attributed to Biden-era restrictions, arguing it took roughly four years for consumers to feel the effects of reduced domestic energy production.
“We have to get back to that,” he said. “The President has been very focused on that, and you will see in time when those things start to open up.”
Steube also pointed to legislation he has introduced that would create a tax incentive for diesel refineries. Even under the best-case scenario, he acknowledged, the payoff would not be immediate.
“Even if we started that today, it will take years before those refineries are up and running,” Steube said.
What the Venezuela Deal Means
The Venezuela arrangement referenced by Steube represents a notable shift in U.S. energy sourcing, opening a channel to producers in a country that has been subject to heavy American sanctions in recent years. The congressman did not detail the specific terms of the deal during the segment, but he presented it as a supply-side lever that would eventually show up in the price consumers pay at gasoline stations.
Venezuela holds some of the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves, though its production has fallen sharply over the past decade amid economic collapse and sanctions. Restoring meaningful output from the country would require substantial investment and infrastructure work — factors that help explain the multiyear timeline Steube described.
A Message of Patience
The thrust of Steube’s comments was a plea for patience from voters who have made the cost of living a central political concern. His argument rests on the idea that energy markets respond slowly to policy changes in either direction, and that the current administration’s approach will pay off if given enough time.
“You’re going to see huge price drops at the pump, but it’s going to take time,” he said.
The interview adds to a broader Republican messaging effort to claim credit for energy policy shifts while managing expectations about how quickly they will show up in household budgets. For consumers watching gasoline prices week to week, Steube’s message was clear: the direction is right, but the calendar is not on their side just yet.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2026/10/06/gop-rep-steube-predicts-gas-prices-will-ease-after-trump-venezuela-deal/